Defending champions India face Pakistan in their opening match of the SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 football tournament, to be held in Kathmandu, Nepal, from September 6 to 19.
The India vs Pakistan football match in Group A on September 7 will be a historic tie as it marks the Pakistan women’s team’s return to international football after an eight-year-long hiatus due to recurring FIFA bans on the Pakistan Football Federation.
The Indian women’s football team and Pakistan have been drawn in Group A of the SAFF Women’s Championship 2022, alongside the Maldives and Bangladesh. Live streaming of the matches will be available.
Group B features hosts Nepal, Bhutan and Sri Lanka.
Teams in each group will face each other in a single-leg round-robin format and the top two from each group will advance to the semi-finals. The final is on September 19.
All SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 matches will be played at the Dasharath Rangasala Stadium in Kathmandu.
India, coached by Suren Chettri, are the SAFF defending champions and have won all of the previous five editions of the tournament (2010, 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2019).
The last edition was also held in Nepal three years back and India beat the hosts in the final to become five-time champions. The Nepal women’s football team is the second-most successful team in the tournament, having finished runners-up on four occasions.
India have named a strong squad, with the likes of Aditi Chauhan, Ashalata Devi and Martina Thokchom in the squad. Dangmei Grace, who has been playing for Uzbekistani club Nasaf Qarshi, has also flown in to join the team for the SAFF Championship.
India’s SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 schedule and live match start times
All times are in Indian Standard Time (IST)
September 7, Wednesday
India vs Pakistan – 12:45 PM IST
September 10, Friday
Maldives vs India – 5:15 PM IST
September 13, Tuesday
India vs Bangladesh – 5:15 PM IST
September 16, Friday
Semi-final 1 – 12:45 PM IST (If India qualify)
Semi-final 2 – 12:45 PM IST (If India qualify)
September 19, Monday
Final – 4:45 PM IST (If India qualify)
Where to watch SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 live streaming in India
Live streaming of the SAFF Women’s Championship 2022 matches, including India vs Pakistan, will be available on the Elevensports.com website in India.
There’s no live telecast of the SAFF Women’s Championship on any TV channel in India.
SAFF Women’s Championship 2022: India football squad
Goalkeepers: Aditi Chauhan, Maibam Linthoingambi Devi, Sowmiya Narayanasamy
Defenders: Sweety Devi, Ritu Rani, Ashalata Devi, Ranjana Chanu, Manisa Panna, Michel Castanha, Juli Kishan, Santosh
Midfielders: Anju Tamang, Priyangka Devi, Martina Thokchom, Sandhiya Ranganathan, Kashmina, Ratanbala Devi
Forwards: Dular Marandi, Apurna Narzary, Soumya Guguloth, Renu, Kiran Pisda, Dangmei Grace
Head coach: Suren Chettri
